Floria, having finished a brief conversation with Carmen, approached the table where Samuel was.
Samuel was waiting for them with a leering smile.
Floria could tell exactly what he was thinking but approached him without a second thought. After all, she had encountered plenty of people in the past who approached her with similar intentions.
In Samuel’s case, it was easier to deal with him because he was so transparent. It was a skill she had developed as sometimes, due to her position, she could not afford to run away from such individuals.
This was different from Silvia, who preferred to keep her distance from that kind of person as much as possible.
Carmen, upon reaching the table, first introduced Floria and her companions.
“I apologize, but please discuss the Divine Tool with them. Our conversation never happened.”
“I don’t mind discussing it with both of you simultaneously?” offered Samuel.
Samuel, who had hoped to negotiate with multiple parties to drive up the price, found his plan easily dismantled.
Carmen shook her head. “No, since they’ve shown up, my part is done. I’ll be leaving now.”
“…That’s unusually casual. It’s not like you.”
It was a simple provocation from Samuel, but Carmen didn’t take the bait.
Instead, her expression shifted to one of slight surprise.
“What’s this? You don’t know… Ah, I see. You just came here, didn’t you?”
Carmen, with a playful expression, spoke loudly enough for those around them to hear.
“These two are Corry’s companions. If you mess with them carelessly, you’ll regret it more than just getting burned.”
The moment Carmen said that, the nature of the gazes directed at Floria and Silvia from those around them completely changed. The curious glances with which people were trying to get closer to the two beautiful women instantly diminished.
Corry’s name still held immense sway in Seichun. No one would carelessly try to mess with his companions unless absolutely necessary.
Samuel, who had faltered for a moment at the mention of Corry’s name, quickly recovered and put on the same expression he had before. It was obvious that Floria and her group were after the Divine Tool. He immediately reconsidered, realizing that he was in an advantageous position since he possessed the actual item.
However, he would soon realize that this was a mistaken belief.
“So, you’re interested in this Divine Tool…”
Samuel attempted to speak while showing the sword, but Floria, sitting opposite him, immediately stopped him.
“Apologies, but we are not here to negotiate with you. We are here to see if you will exchange it for this, or if you will not.”
As Floria spoke, she glanced at Silvia. Silvia then took out an object resembling a fist-sized stone from a bag that women typically carried.
Carmen watched to see how Floria’s group would negotiate but couldn’t help but exclaim when she saw what Silvia had produced.
“Th-that’s!”
Her voice was surprisingly loud, drawing the attention of other adventurers who had been eavesdropping at nearby tables. Many others, upon seeing the stone on the table, also voiced exclamations of surprise, just like Carmen. Samuel, however, looked at the reactions around him with confusion.
Floria, noticing this, paused for a moment before speaking to Carmen.
“Hmm. It seems Samuel doesn’t understand. Could you explain it to him? I believe he’ll be more convinced by your explanation than mine.”
“Explain? Before that, to have something like this so casually… Well, I suppose it’s fine.”
Carmen understood that not only Corry, but also the two individuals before her lacked a sense of normalcy. She sighed resignedly.
Carmen sighed and then looked at Samuel with a look of exasperation.
“…You too. If you call yourself an adventurer, you should know what this is. …This, you see, is a raw magic ore.”
“What!?”
At Carmen’s words, Samuel’s eyes widened in astonishment. While Samuel hadn’t recognized the object by sight, he certainly knew what magic ore was. After all, magic ore is considered one of the best materials for crafting magic tools and weapons. Its rarity only pushed its value higher, with even tiny fragments the size of a thumb fetching exorbitant prices. The magic ore before him was about the size of a fist. It was not difficult to imagine its worth.
Seeing the magic ore Silvia had produced, Samuel involuntarily swallowed hard.
“Th-this?”
“Yes, that’s right. We want to exchange this magic ore for the Divine Tool. You can either exchange it, or you cannot. There are only two options.”
As Floria said this, Samuel looked closely at the magic ore again. All the malicious thoughts he had entertained moments before had vanished from his mind. With this much magic ore, he could earn enough money to live without working for the rest of his life simply by selling it through proper channels.
Looking at his expression, it was clear how Samuel would answer, but Floria waited silently for his reply.
Eventually, Samuel swallowed again and nodded.
“V-very well. Let us exchange this ore for the Divine Tool.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear such a positive response.”
Floria nodded and then slid the ore, which was near her, closer. Samuel, for a moment, considered snatching only the ore and running away, but he quickly changed his mind. The Divine Tool sword had become a nuisance in his eyes. It was better not to do anything foolish that might ruin this deal. Even though he didn’t know the full extent of Floria and Silvia’s abilities, Carmen was right there with them. He reasoned that it was better to acquire the magic ore for sure than to do something unnecessary.
Carmen looked at Floria, who had received the Divine Tool from Samuel, with a slightly worried expression.
“I’m glad the deal went through smoothly, but are you alright? Doing this so openly.”
Even though they were Corry’s associates, he wasn’t here now. It was entirely plausible they could be attacked immediately after leaving the bar.
Floria and Silvia exchanged a glance at Carmen’s concern. Floria then casually reached into her chest pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it to Carmen.
“I appreciate your concern, but I think we’ll be fine.”
“…Hm? This is a Crown Card… Wait, you’re an A Rank adventurer!?”
Carmen’s surprised shout caused the surrounding area to stir. It was already known in Seichun that the Crown’s adventurer rankings were set more strictly than those in other adventurer guilds. This was expected from the Crown, whose headquarters were on the Central Continent, and thus, A-rank adventurers of the Crown were exceptionally distinguished individuals.
“Yes, that’s right. While I can’t compare to Corry, I do have considerable skill. I can’t say for sure, but we should be safe until we return to our base.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Carmen looked at Floria with an exasperated expression. She hadn’t seen someone whose appearance and abilities were so mismatched since Corry. She wondered if it was natural for those with extraordinary abilities to gather people of the same caliber.
We have safely acquired the Divine Tool.
By the way, regarding the magic ore used for the negotiation, there is a large vein in the upper levels of Amamiya Tower. We are currently releasing it little by little to avoid crashing the market. In other words, for Kousuke and the others, it’s a resource they can never get rid of! lol
